The present invention relates to wearable devices for personal protection and defense, and more particularly to rings that discharge a noxious substance towards an assailant when activated by the wearer.
The concept of wearable weaponry for self defense has inspired a number of inventions. Typically, such devices are easily accessed and activated by the user. A further advantage is gained by disguising the weapon as jewelry or a watch, allowing the user to surprise an assailant, and increasing the chance that the user will still have access to the weapon even after being xe2x80x9cdisarmedxe2x80x9d by the assailant.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,749 to Lahaug describes a defense ring consisting of a ring with a detachable spray bulb and nozzle which fits into the palm of the user and can be discharged manually by squeezing the bulb. The ring taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,353,749 is large and unwieldy, such that the device is inappropriate for everyday use. Moreover, the device is susceptible to accidental discharge of the contents of the bulb. Another approach is embodied in U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,759 to Whiteing, which teaches an entire mini-firearm wearable as a ring. A single standard cartridge is manually loaded into the rear of a short barrel, with the back end of the cartridge facing a chamber having a firing pin. When the trigger is released, the barrel and cartridge are propelled towards the firing pin by a spring, and the firing pin contacts the back end of the cartridge with sufficient force to pierce the casing and activate the explosive charge propelling the bullet through the barrel and out on its course. This invention shares certain disadvantages with its progenitor, the handgun. The protruding barrel, which is necessary to provide sufficient bullet travel distance for firing accuracy, is conspicuous. Moreover, the recoil of the weapon will be equal to that of a handgun firing an identical round. This force is now concentrated on the fragile carpal bones of the fingers, thus exposing the user to pain and injury. In addition, the rapid sliding motion of the barrel and cartridge introduces a new vector of force to the weapon at the last instant before firing, skewing the aim.
Returning to patents specifically concerned with the discharge of chemical substances, U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,645 to Kimmel describes a self-defense ring having a mechanism for piercing an ampoule filled with a noxious chemical substance. A major drawback to the weapon as described is the lack of directed propellant force for the chemical substance, which can result in the user being enveloped in the resulting miasma, instead of or in addition to the assailant. Two variations on more directed and controllable release of noxious chemical substances from ring-mounted containers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,126,040; 6,123,228; and 6,135,321, all to Hippensteel. Upon activation by the user, a safety-equipped trigger mechanism releases a pressurized gas substance through an atomizing aperture in the upper face of the ring. The gas is stored in a reusable canister, which allows for reusability and for multiple firing. The canister is also removable, and can itself be used as a self-defense weapon without the ring housing.
Drawbacks to the self-defense ring as taught by U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,126,040; 6,123,228; and 6,135,321 include the use of a single chemical substance as both propellant and repellant. The chemical substance is held under a pressure of between 60 and 160 p.s.i. in order to provide the physical force to propel the chemical substance towards an assailant. This requirement limits the type of substance which can be used to those which can be safely stored under pressure without corroding the metal, plastic, or rubber components of the canister and release mechanisms. Furthermore, this approach demands exacting tolerances on all components subjected to pressure, since leakage of the noxious substance would be extremely unpleasant or injurious. It also eliminates materials which are solid or liquid at room temperature from being used as repellant. In addition, when the weapon is discharged, the pressure in the canister drops rapidly, diminishing the propellant force, resulting in a portion of the noxious substance remaining in the immediate vicinity of the ring, which is potentially hazardous and/or disabling to the user. A further disadvantage is the placement of the spray atomizer on the upper face of the ring. This disposition forces the user to aim the device by using hand motions that may be perceived as threatening or unnatural by an assailant. This strongly compromises the elements of concealment and surprise that are fundamental to the successful performance of the device in emergency situations.
Thus, there is a clear need for, and it would be quite advantageous to have a self-defense ring which, in addition to overcoming the above-stated disadvantages, is operational using a wide range of repellant substances including binary substances, is inconspicuously aimed and fired, even from a xe2x80x9chands upxe2x80x9d position, and propels the entire charge of repellant substance at the assailant and out of the vicinity of the user.
The invention, a self-defense ring, overcomes the disadvantages described above. There is provided a substance-ejecting ring device, including: (a) a ring for detachable attachment to a finger of a user; (b) a substance-ejecting unit, rigidly attached to the ring, the unit including: (i) a closed collapsible ampoule; (ii) a substance contained within the ampoule, for discharging from the ampoule; (iii) a rigid chamber having an opening, the chamber surrounding the ampoule, and (iv) pressuring means, external to the ampoule, for collapsing the ampoule, wherein the pressuring means acts upon the ampoule so as to discharge the substance from the ampoule, via the chamber, through the opening.
Furthermore, there is provided a alternate embodiment of a substance-ejecting ring device, including: (a) a ring for detachable attachment to a finger of a user; (b) a substance-ejecting unit, rigidly attached to the ring, the unit including: (i) a rigid chamber having an opening; (ii) a first ampoule disposed within the chamber, the ampoule containing a substance for discharging from the ampoule to an environment, via the opening; (iii) a second ampoule, disposed within the chamber, containing a propellant gas, and (iv) triggering means for releasing the propellant gas from the second ampoule into the chamber, wherein, upon demand, the propellant gas acts upon the first ampoule so as to discharge the substance from the first ampoule
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the ring device includes triggering means for activating the pressuring means on demand.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the pressuring means of the ring device is a pneumatically driven piston.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the triggering means of the ring device includes a valve for releasing compressed propellant gas from a capsule disposed in the chamber, so as to move the piston.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the pressuring means of the ring device is pneumatic pressure within a chamber containing the ampoule and the triggering means is a valve for releasing compressed propellant gas from a capsule contained in the chamber.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the triggering means of the ring device is a lever that initiates a chemical reaction leading to a rapid rise in air pressure within the chamber.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the pressuring means of the ring device is a spring.
According to further features in the above embodiment, the triggering means of the ring device is a lever that is activated to release the spring.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the rigid hollow chamber of the ring device contains means for puncturing the ampoule.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the substance-ejecting unit of the ring device further includes a housing that substantially surrounds the rigid hollow chamber, the chamber and the housing being operatively connected so as to allow for a relative sliding motion of pre-determined length and direction.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the triggering means of the ring device is fixedly attached to the housing.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the substance-ejecting unit of the ring device further includes a safety mechanism attached to the housing, which disables the ejection function on demand.
According to further features in the embodiment with a safety mechanism, the safety mechanism includes a screw which is turned to a position that limits proximity of the housing to the rigid chamber.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the housing of the ring device is fixedly attached to a decorative object.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment the substance contained in the ampoule of the ring device is substantially harmless, and a mixture composed of the substance and the propellant gas is noxious.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the ampoule of the ring device contains a second collapsible ampoule containing a second substance, and the pressuring means act upon the closed collapsible ampoule to rupture the second collapsible ampoule so as to mix the substances.
According to further features in the preferred embodiment with multiple ampoules, each of the substances contained in the ring device is substantially harmless, and a mixture of the substances is noxious.
According to further features in the first preferred embodiment, the ring includes an ejection outlet disposed opposite the chamber and contains a channel communicating between the chamber and the ejection outlet such that upon demand, the substance is ejected out of the ejection outlet.
According to further features in the alternate preferred embodiment, the first ampoule of the ring device is collapsible, and the propellant gas acts so as to collapse the first ampoule.
According to further features in the alternate preferred embodiment, the ring device includes a piston disposed between the first ampoule and the second ampoule.
According to further features in the alternate preferred embodiment that includes a piston, the triggering means of the ring device includes a valve for releasing the propellant gas from the second ampoule, moving the piston.
The present invention successfully addresses the shortcomings of the presently known configurations by providing a self defense ring with a sealed ampoule that contains the noxious substance. This substance may be gaseous, liquid or powder, and need not be held at high pressure. The action of the firing mechanism is not dependent on keeping dangerous substances sealed at high pressure, but rather on the application of force from outside the sealed ampoule. In embodiments that include a propellant gas, the propellant gas serves to flush the system and mechanism free of the noxious substance and to insure that none of the noxious substance remains in the vicinity of the user. The safety of the invention is further enhanced by the use of binary repellants which are mixed at the moment of ejection to form a noxious substance. In addition, the construction of the ring insures that it appears to be a normal piece of costume jewelry from most viewing angles, with the ejection opening discreetly on the side or the underside of the ring, aiding in camouflaging the defensive nature of the device. In the described embodiment, the noxious substance is sealed behind three layers of solid material, affording greater protection than previous inventions in the case of puncture or damage to the ring device. In addition, the invention provides for a variety of interchangeable combinations of propellant and repellant suited for a variety of expected threats or a variety of local regulations. This same feature enables the use of practice cartridges for training or target practice. Furthermore, each of the individual propellant or repellant components is separately replaceable, affording savings and easier compliance with materials expiration dates.